SOME REFLECTIONS ON WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ART THERAPY AND NATURE?

In recent weeks I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between nature and art therapy, and I already mentioned how contact with nature can help us find the path to creativity. But now I would like to delve a little deeper into this relationship. In art therapy the person is in an active and intimate process. Active because the person is constantly doing, and intimate, because in this process it is only the person and their work. The therapist is only a companion, a witness to this process. By sharing or verbalizing this process, the person not only raises awareness of what happened, but also gives a new meaning to the experience. Being in contact with nature is something similar. If we live surrounded by nature, we are going to be constantly busy, we have to prepare the land to plant, then we have to give the pertinent care to what we plant. And many other things that need to be done in it. This process is also intimate, because in order to understand it, you must first develop a very internal and personal dialogue, which begins with observation, exploration, just like in art therapy. Nature is cyclical, for example the seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the winter, everything dries up and dies, autumn is the transition to this winter, summer is the peak, everything shines and shines from the sun. And finally spring, rebirth, where green has the connotation of the new, of the newborn, the trees and flowers begin to emerge, although there are still rainy and cold days. In art therapy many times it begins in that winter or autumn, where it is difficult for us to let ourselves be carried away by the process that is unknown, because we do not know exactly what the final result will be, but once we take the first step, even if the path is with a lot of rain , we continue forward, because we begin to see or feel that spring may arrive. And with the maturity of summer, the person has finally, through his work, been able to redefine experiences and is strengthened for new cycles in his life. Now,I already mentioned that the therapist is a companion, a guide, who when necessary will give some observations, just like nature, which is always silent, is also a witness, but will speak to us when it deems appropriate, to help us have a better understanding of life. We can continue mentioning many other things, if time allows, but after these small reflections, it becomes clear why art therapy must include nature in its approach. Because art and nature are intrinsic to life itself, and we are within it and it is within us. Because together, humans and nature have survived the evolution of humans and the planet. Therefore, if we want to return to being healthy, loving and compassionate beings, we must return to it, as the best and most valuable therapy that we can all have.